Electric puff ironer



Oct. 15, H. WILKE ELECTRIC PUFF IRONER Filed Jan. 18, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- HELEN WILKE ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1963 H. WILKE 3,107,286

ELECTRIC PUFF IRONER Filed Jan. 18, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 F IG, 4 INVENTOR.

HELEN WILKE ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1963 H. WILKE ELECTRIC PUFF IRONER Filed Jan. 18, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 5

mm W W N E L E H ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,107,286 ELECTRIC PUFF IRUNER Helen Wilke, Marcellus, Mich. (1004 W. Broadway St., Mishawalra, ind.) Filed Jan. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 83,420 Claims. (Cl. 219-21) The present invention relates to electric ironers, and more particularly to ironers for portions of garments such as sleeves, ruflles, pulls, and lace, which cannot be conveniently ironed by the conventional hand iron.

It is a prinicpal object of the present invention to provide an ironer for puffs, lace, ruilles, and the like, which is shaped for the greatest possible ease and convenience in ironing these special portions of garments with simple motions of the hand and wrist.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electric puir ironer which gives a thermostatic control over the heating of the ironing surface within a small temperature range and which heats evenly over the whole ironing surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pull ironer with a thermostatic control in which the thermostat for temperature control will not catch on the clothing being ironed and not interfere with the ironing operation, and which is yet conveniently within reach of the person ironing.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide an electric purl ironer which is attractive, small and easily portable, and which will clamp tightly on an ironing board or table without danger of slipping or turning.

Still another object is to provide an ironer which is simple and rugged in material and design, easily and cheaply manufactured and readily repaired when necessary.

Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an ironing board with my ironer mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the ironer, showing the thermostatic control;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the ironer taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical cross sectional view of the ironer, showing the wiring system of the ironer;

FlGURE 5 is a top plan vie-W of the ironer; and

FIGURE '6 is a cross sectional view of one of the clamps for holding the ironer on a board or table, taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral ltl designates my ironer, mounted on the broad end 12 of an ironing board 14 having narrow end 16 and legs 18. lroner ltl includes a hollow stem 26 carrying head 22 and supported by base 2 with a power cord 26 of a conventional type. Base Ed is clamped to the ironing board or other support by clamps 2d and 3%".

As seen in FlGURES 2 and 3, the head 22 consists of v a head plate 36 of solid metal, such as cast aluminum, connected to a hollow cup-like bottom 38 by screws il) or the like, mounted in recesses 42 in the bottom. The head is smooth and generally dome shaped, with rounded corners designed to facilitate ironing thereon. The bottom, which may be made of any suitable metal or of a heat resistant plastic, contains a central hole 43 which is threaded in order that the bottom 38 may be screwed onto the threaded top 44 of stem Ztl, thus producing a mechanically rigid unit. Within head 22 a thermostat 5% is attached to head plate 36 with a temperature control crank 5-2 extending downwardly into the stem Ztl. The end of crank 52 is moved by a tongue 5d of a ring 56, made of plastic, metal, or the like, the ring turning on shoulder Patented Get. 15, 1%53 58 of stem 2% with tongue 54 sliding in slot to in the stem. in assembling the ironer, ring 5s is slid downwardly over narrow portion 62; of stem 2% with tongue 54 sliding in a slot 6 in the stern until the ring rests on shoulder and the tongue registers with slot (ill. A ring 66 of the same material as stem 2% is slid over narrow portion 62 to conceal slot 6 and present a smooth surface even with the surface of stem Ztl, and bottom 38 is then screwed into place on the upper end of the storm. in placing head plate 36 on bottom 38, crank 52 or ring 56 must be turned in order that the crank end will register with the hole in tongue 5 This structure is supported on base 24, the lower end of stem 2-9 having an integral flange 7% resting on the top surface of the base and a threaded extension '72 below this flange projecting through a hole 74 in base 2-6 with a nut 76 holding the structure securely in place.

As seen in FIGURE 4, a wire 89 from power cord 25 extends to terminal 32 of a switch 84 of a conventional type mounted in base 24, and from the other terminal (not shown) of the switch, a wire 35 proceeds to terminal 83 of the thermostatic unit 5a? in the head 22. From the other terminal of the thermostat, a Wire 92 runs to terminal $4 of heating element 96, and the remaining wire 98 of cord 25 is connected to the terminal 1% of heating element The power cord extends from the hollow base 24 through a hole M4 containing a rubber grommet Thus, when switch is closed, current will flow through wire Sh, switch 84, wire 36, thermostat Si wire 92, heating element as, and wire 93. When the thermostat senses the iron is too hot, it breaks the circuit, while it closes the circuit whenever the iron is too cold.

Heating element Q6 is preferably embedded in head plate 36, and consists of a series of loops 1% of heating wire surrounded by electrical insulation, and is so arranged that no portion of the head plate will be more than about one half of an inch from the heating wire. Thus the plate is heated evenly and quickly with a minimum of power loss. If desired, the heating element may be placed in grooves in the solid head plate instead of being cast into the plate, thus facilitating the replacement of the heating element if it should burn out or otherwise become damaged.

Clamps and 3t? are used to mount the ironer ill securely on the ironing board 14 or table top, each including a bracket lit? having a hooked end 112 and a threaded hole lid in the other end 115. Thumb screw 116 is mounted in the hole and is tipped with a shoe 118 having a rubber or plastic pad 12d to prevent damage to the ironing board or other support. in mounting the ironer on a board or table top 1 hooked end 112 of the bracket is inserted in slot 122 of base 24 so that end with thumb screw lid is positioned below board 14, and the thumb screw is tightened to secure the ironer solidly to the board for use. The present ironing device when mounted in the foregoing manner is rigid, and permits all necessary force to be applied to the cloth being ironed without the likelihood of the device slipping or rocking.

in operation, the ironer is turned on at switch 84 and the desired temperature of head plate 36 is selected by turning ring 5'6. This temperature is held constant within a few degrees by the action of the thermostat mounted on the bottom of the head plate. The pulls, lace, rufiles and other parts of garments are ironed by stretching them across the top of the ironer and allowing the action of the heat and stretching to remove the wrinkles. For cloth which needs to be dampened, dampening may be done before the ironing, or a mist can be sprayed onto the cloth during ironing since the iron remains fixed in position. The streamlined design of the ironer head plate with the relatively pointed but rounded ends allows complete wrinkle removing, while the position of the only support, directly underneath the ironing head, allows the free use of the ironer without interference from the support. Further, the hush and smooth arrangement of the temperature control, close to the ironing head, allows ready adjustment of the temperature Without interfering with the movement of the clothing being ironed, or without catching or snagging the clothing.

While only one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein, various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, stem 2% may be made integrally with base 24, the clamps may take any convenient form, and the shape of the head 22 may be modified for various purposes.

I claim:

1. An electric ironer for puffs, lace, sleeves and the like, comprising a hollow base, a hollow straight cylindrical stem secured to said base and extending vertically therefrom, a head secured at the center of its under side to the upper end of said stem and having a generally dome .shaped metal upper plate of oblong configuration, said upper plate being smooth and having bilateral symmetry with relatively pointedends, an electrical heating element embedded in said upper plate, a thermostatic means attached to the underside of said upper plate within said head, a rotatable ring disposed around said cylindrical stern in spaced relation to said head and being substantially flush circumferentially with the external surface of said stern, and a linkage connecting said ring with said thermostat for varying the temperature maintained by said head plate.

2. In an ironer: aicylindrical stem in vertical position,

a head secured at the center of its underside to the upper end of said stern and having a generally dome shaped,

metal upper plate of oblong configuration, said upper plate being smooth and having bilateral symmetry with relatively pointed ends, the curvature of the upper sur face of said head being relatively flat and being substantially uniform on both the longitudinal and transverse axes throughout most of the length thereof, an electrical heating element secured to said upper plate, a thermostatic means adjacent the underside'of said upper plate within said head, a rotatable ring disposed around said cylindrical stem and being substantially flush circumferennear the top of the stern, a tongue extending into said slot from said r'ing'and having a vertical hole therethrougl an oblong generally dome shaped smooth ironing head with rounded ends attached at the center of its under side to the upper end of said stem, the curvature or" the upper surface of said head being relatively flat and being substantially uniform on both the longitudinal and transverse axes throughout most of the lengththereof, the upper portion of said head being of solid metal, a'heating element embedded in said metal, and'the lower portion'of said head being hollow and containing a thermostat for 'means for rigidly holding said ironer in position for iron- 4. An electric ironer for pulls, lace, sleeves, and the like, comprising a hollow base, a hollow cylindrical stem being secured to said base in vertical position, a horizontal slot in said stem, a rotatable ring around said stem covering said slot and mounted substantially flush circumferentially with the outside surface of 'said stem, a

tongue extending into said slot from said ring and being movable with the ring, an oblong generally dome shaped smooth ironinghead with rounded ends attached at the center of its underside to the upper end of said stem, the curvature of the upper surface of said head being relatively fiat and being substantially uniform on both the longitudinal and transverse axes throughout most of the length thereof, the upper portion of said head being of solid metal, a heating element in said upper portion, and the lower portion of said head being hollow and containa thermostat to maintain the temperature of the upper portion of the head within a desired range, a control linkage extending rom said thermostat to said tongue for rotation therewith, a source of power, and electrical connections between said heating element, thermostat and said source of power for'operating said heating element within said desired range.

5. An ironer for pulls, lace, sleeves, and the like, comprisin a base, a cylindrical stem vertically connected to said base and having a rotatable ring therearound spaced from the top and bottom of said stem, a generally dome shaped smooth ironing head with rounded ends attached at the center of its underside t0 the upper end of said stem, the curvature of the upper surface of said head being relatively flat and being substantially uniform on both the longitudinal and transverse axes throughout most of the length thereof, the upper portion of said head being solid with a heating element in said head in close proximity to said upper portion, and the lower portion or" said head being hollow, and containing a thermostat 'for regulating the temperature of said upper portion, a

control linkage from said thermostat operatively connected to said ring, and a source of power for said heating element and thermostat;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. AN ELECTRIC IRONER FOR PUFFS, LACE, SLEEVES AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A HOLLOW BASE, A HOLLOW STRAIGHT CYLINDRICAL STEM SECURED TO SAID BASE AND EXTENDING VERTICALLY THEREFROM, A HEAD SECURED AT THE CENTER OF ITS UNDER SIDE TO THE UPPER END OF SAID STEM AND HAVING A GENERALLY DOME SHAPED METAL UPPER PLATE OF OBLONG CONFIGURATION, SAID UPPER PLATE BEING SMOOTH AND HAVING BILATERAL SYMMETRY WITH RELATIVELY POINTED ENDS, AN ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT EMBEDDED IN SAID UPPER PLATE, A THERMOSTATIC MEANS ATTACHED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID UPPER PLATE WITHIN SAID HEAD, A ROTATABLE RING DISPOSED AROUND SAID CYLINDRICAL STEM IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID HEAD AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLUSH CIRCUMFERENTIALLY WITH THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID STEM, AND A LINKAGE CONNECTING SAID RING WITH SAID THERMOSTAT FOR VARYING THE TEMPERATURE MAINTAINED BY SAID HEAD PLATE. 